Pike Press - Triceps Extension
How to Do the Pike Press - Bodyweight Triceps Extension Exercise | In-Depth Guide [VISUAL LEARNERS] Advanced
Proper Form, Common Mistakes, & Variations | Home Resistance Training
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE?
QUICK DEMO
QUICK DEMO
MUSCLES THIS WORKS
MUSCLES
MAIN MUSCLES WORKED IN the Pike Press
TRICEPS
OTHER MUSCLES WORKED:
- Anterior deltoid
- Middle and lower trapezius
- Rhomboids
- Serratus anterior
- Latissimus dorsi
- Teres major
- Rotator cuff
- Pec minor
- Core muscles (obliques, transverse abdominis, quadratus lumborum, erector spinae, rectus abdominis, multifidi)
STARTING POINTERS
Starting Pointers
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
ALL WE'RE DOING:
Verrrry similar to push-up which we all know, but keeping those elbows closer to our body.
The Pike Press is an advanced and effective bodyweight exercise that targets the shoulders, triceps, and core muscles. It's a variation of the tricep extension that adds an extra challenge by placing more emphasis on shoulder strength and stability. The Pike Press is a great exercise for building upper body strength and improving shoulder mobility.
You should master the plank tricep extension before trying this one. This variation is done in a pike or downward dog yoga position, transferring more of your body’s weight onto the upper body. This movement is a great upper back, shoulder, arm, and core strengthener. You also get a bonus hamstring stretch.
HOW TO DO THE EXERCISE
LOOKS
HOW Pike Presses SHAPE OUR BODY
Balances out biceps in the upper arm, gives upper arm horseshoe definition. Toned core, waist.
PROPER FORM
PROPER FORM: Pike Press
EQUIPMENT, SETS & REPS
EQUIPMENT
Mat
SUGGESTED STARTING WEIGHT FOR WOMEN:
None.
SETS & REPS:
2 sets of reps to fatigue (complete as many reps as you can with perfect form, take a break, and complete one more set until failure (loss of form); Alternatively - 2 sets of 8 reps, progressing to lower press up as you fatigue but continue with all the reps.
PACE:
Controlled up and very slow down. It is easy to just relax back down - make sure you are working in both directions.
BODY POSITION
BODY POSITION FOR THE Pike Press
BODY STANCE: Start kneeling down, sitting back on your heels. Move your body forward and place your hands on the floor. Put your toes on the floor, and push your hips up into the air. Straighten your legs and arms until you are positioned like an inverted V or yoga downward dog position. Your spine should be in a neutral position - you may need to bend your knees a bit to keep your spine neutral. Put your weight on the ball of your foot, your heels can be lifted or pressed down - whichever is more comfortable (on the ball will put more weight on the upper body, and heels down will stretch the hamstrings more).
ARMS: Arms will be angled overhead, shoulder width apart, elbows straight.
HANDS: Palms flat on the floor. Fingers pointing straight ahead. Head in line with hands.
HOW TO DO
HOW TO DO Pike Presses
CUE: Isolate the movement to your elbow joints.
Bend your elbows to lower your head down to the floor.
Your elbows pointing back and angled out a little bit - about halfway between straight out to the side and straight down. The more your elbows point toward your feet, the harder your triceps will be working.
Straighten your elbows to press your body back up.
Perform until you are unable to maintain good form or for the desired reps.
HOW TO SAFELY GET OUT OF THE EXERCISE
From the starting position, bend your knees and hips to sit back in kneeling.
COMMON MISTAKES
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT TO AVOID WITH THE Pike Press
KEY TIP:
Guess what? Good news! Many avoids are the same for most movements. Once you learn the basics, there's really only a few extra avoids for each individual movement.
1. Avoid Tucking/Lifting Chin
AVOID: Tucking or lifting the chin.
WHY NOT?
- Your neck should be in a neutral position and feel lengthened to avoid compressing the joints, straining the muscles.
- The cervical muscles will be strengthened because you are holding the weight of your head in line against gravity - you want to make sure that you are strengthening the muscles in the healthiest position.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep your neck neutral throughout the exercise.
2. Avoid Locking Elbows
AVOID: Hyperextending or locking the elbows when the arms are out straight - at the end of the movement.
WHY NOT?
- This puts too much force through the joint and may result in long-term damage over time.
- Can stretch the ligaments and tendons that support the joint.
- This will decrease muscle activity and rely more on the joint surfaces.
WHAT TO DO:
- Keep the elbows slightly bent, even at the end of the movement.
3. Avoid Forearm Moving Down
AVOID: Avoid your forearms moving down.
WHAT TO DO:
- The idea is to keep the forearm more vertical and the upper arm will move closer to the torso.
VARIATIONS
VARIATIONS
VARIATIONS OF Pike Presses
Elbows Pointing Back
Elbows Pointing Back
Rather than letting your elbows angle out as you lower, if you keep them pointing back this will make the triceps work even harder.
Unmodified Hands On Ground
Unmodified Hands On Ground
Hands are on the floor in this case - lower as far as you can - for me that's not much!
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
WHAT & WHY
BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE triceps
WHAT
If this exercise looks suspiciously like a push-up, you would be right. But we tweak it just a bit to target our triceps more specifically.
A TRICEP EXERCISE WITH NO WEIGHTS! JUST YOUR BODYWEIGHT IS NEEDED. #KEEPLIFESIMPLE
Bodyweight tricep exercises are convenient because they can be done almost anywhere and they do not require any equipment. The exercises are pretty intense - moving your body using just your triceps is pretty demanding, not only for your triceps but also for all of the muscles that stabilize the arm, shoulder, and torso.
Bodyweight exercises are done in a closed chain - meaning that the hand is not free to move during the exercise, this trains the muscles of the arm and shoulder to stabilize the joints by improving the neuromuscular control (the nerve communication to the timing and amount of muscle activation) of the smaller muscles of the joints.
Bodyweight exercises require more balance, stability, and control, incorporating many of the muscles of the legs and torso - making it a nice full-body exercise.
WHY BOTHER DOING IT?
WHY
WHY DO WE EVEN CARE?
MAKES SENSE TO STRENGTHEN THE BIGGEST MUSCLE OF OUR ARM
Working the triceps is important to balance the frequently overtrained/overused biceps muscle.
The triceps is the largest muscle of the upper arm, it accounts for about ⅔ of the muscle bulk of the upper arm. This is especially important when the muscles need to work together to stabilize the joints of the elbow and shoulders. When one of the two muscles is proportionately stronger than the other - it can cause poor alignment at the elbow or shoulder joint, putting it at a higher risk for injury. It is smart to include a few bodyweight exercises in your program.
Arm exercises that work the muscles of the legs, torso, and upper body to stabilize the body as the arms work will improve your ability to safely lift, push and pull heavier objects for a longer period of time without injury. Training the muscles with bodyweight exercises teaches the whole body to work together, this is really important for many daily activities - pushing a heavy stroller, wheelchair, grocery cart, lawnmower, putting heavy boxes overhead, working overhead - painting, changing light bulbs, cleaning.
IMPROVE ABILITY WITH LOTS OF OTHER EXERCISES
Many other exercises, especially core exercises we do at Inspireful Women, involve using the triceps to some degree. The more we can strengthen the arms- triceps, biceps, shoulders & upper back muscles, the more we can progress the core exercises. Sometimes it's our arms that are a limiting factor
EVERYDAY LIFE
EVERYDAY LIFE &
MUSCLE FUNCTION
HOW WE USE OUR tricep MUSCLES IN EVERYDAY LIFE
1. STRAIGHTENS (EXTENDS) THE ELBOW (ALL THREE HEADS)
- Pushing an object overhead
- Pushing a door open or shut
- Chopping - swinging down
- Hammering - swinging down
- Sawing - pushing out
- Throwing a ball overhand
- Swatting a fly
2. THE LONG HEAD PULLS THE ARM DOWN WHEN IT IS OVERHEAD (SHOULDER EXTENSION)
- Pulling a cord to open a curtain
- Pulling a window down to shut it
3. ALL THREE HEADS HELP TO HOLD THE ELBOW JOINT STILL (JOINT STABILIZATION), AND THE LONG HEAD HELPS TO HOLD THE SHOULDER JOINT STILL
- Writing
- Pushing a stroller or grocery cart
- Using a screwdriver or knife
- Knitting
- Replacing a ceiling lightbulb
HOW TO FEEL WHAT MUSCLE IS WORKING
How to Feel What Muscle is Working
To feel your triceps activated:
- Lift your arm in front of you and set your hand and forearm on a table or counter.
- Put your other hand on the back of your upper arm.
- Press down with your hand resting on the surface.
- press down as if you were trying to straighten just your elbow;
- press down as if you were trying to pull your upper arm down to your side. In both cases, you should feel your triceps working.
SCIENCY STUFF
ALLLL MUSCLES & WHEN
ALL MUSCLES WORKING & WHEN DURING THE Pike Press
The core muscles and muscles of the hips and legs will work to stabilize the body during the movement. The scapular and back muscles (rhomboids, mid and lower traps, serratus anterior, pec minor, lat, teres major) work to hold the shoulder blades together and down as the elbow bends and straightens with each rep.
The movement begins as the triceps (and anconeus) work eccentrically to control the movement as the head is lowered to the floor. The same muscles work concentrically when the elbows straighten to push the body back up.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
